


The Days that Followed

by SunAndMoonlight



Category: Six of Crows Series - Leigh Bardugo
Genre: First Time, Fluff, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Post Crooked Kingdom, general sweetness, handjobs, more like first, sorta - Freeform, wy and jes explore their relationship without the constant threat of death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 13:47:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29351418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunAndMoonlight/pseuds/SunAndMoonlight
Summary: Jesper helps Wylan relax, among other things.
Relationships: Jesper Fahey/Wylan Van Eck
Comments: 3
Kudos: 62





	The Days that Followed

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place after the events of Crooked Kingdom- this is the first fic I've ever written, but I hope anyone who reads enjoys! I’m a firm believer in little spoon!Jesper

In the days following the auction, Wylan had trouble sleeping. Ironic, since his time with their crew had been marked by nights that had him craving just a few minutes in a comfortable bed. Yet now that his world had somehow settled, he was back in a warm house, well fed and waited on, he slept fitfully. He had new worries, and though they were less threatening, they were endless: small yet important tasks lined up one after another, stretching off into the horizon. He almost missed planning a heist. 

He found himself awake again, warm covers and a long heavy arm draped over him. Staring through the dark at the ceiling, he nervously chewed on his other worry: Jesper, snoring lightly beside him and sleeping like a rock (damn him). The last couple weeks had been relatively calm, and he and Jesper had settled into a routine. After their work was done for the day, they would have dinner, his mother’s voice becoming stronger and clearer while Jesper told jokes and endless stories. Wylan would play music for them, and they would go to bed. Every night, Jesper would kiss him and say “Good night, merchling,” before promptly passing out. 

Wylan enjoyed every second, but he was beginning to feel the vacuum disaster created as it left his life. Shouldn't they progress, now that they could? Wylan found himself frustrated, sleeping every night with the man he wanted, and just...sleeping. He had hoped to be able to follow Jesper’s lead, but the sharpshooter seemed to feel no urgency to do anything beyond flirt and tease and kiss him, then fall into a deep sleep. 

____

__

Wylan turned his head and looked at Jesper, mouth slightly open and cheek smashed by the pillow. Seeing him so still filled Wylan with an unexpected wave of affection and warmth. Wylan shifted towards him, and Jesper’s arm tightened slightly, his breathing pausing, then deepening again. Wylan’s eyes closed. Nerves be damned; after everything they’d been through together, telling Jesper he wanted him shouldn’t be frightening at all. He hoped. 

\------

The next day passed as expected, in relative calm, but Wylan felt like he might shake apart. He was painfully aware of his lack of experience, Jesper’s _depth _of experience. What if all his teasing was just that? His thoughts were spinning so quickly as they got ready for bed he felt they might break out of his head a fly across the room. He sat picking at the bedspread, and didn’t notice Jesper standing in front of him until several seconds had gone by.__

____

__

“You’ve been acting weird all day.” Jesper said matter-of-factly, hands on hips. “Is someone blackmailing you? Just tell me who to shoot, merchling.” 

Wylan smiled weakly, still feeling like his nerves were crawling through his body. Jesper dropped onto the bed next to him, smile gone.

“Wy. Are you alright?” 

Wylan stared hard at the bedspread, took a deep breath, and nodded. 

“Yeah, I was just thinking that-” he stopped and looked back down, cheeks turning a deep red. “I was just thinking that, since we’re here- I mean, not here in my room, but here together, in… my room...I just mean that we’re together, you know, and there are things…” his voice got progressively smaller with each word- “things I’d...like...to do….with you.” He dared to glance up at Jesper, shoulders bunched up around his ears, and found him leaning in, a blinding grin on his face.

“ _Oh _? What kind of things?”__

____

____

Wylan shoved him back lightly, looking away, still blushing furiously but smiling, too.  
“Come on, you know what I mean.” he glanced at Jesper again. “Do you...I mean, do you want to, too?” 

Jesper laughed incredulously, pulling Wylan until their foreheads were leaning together.

“Merchling, I don’t know what else I could possibly say to make you believe me at this point.”

Wylan let out a small relieved sigh, feeling the weight of Jesper’s arm around his back and his breath on his cheek. 

“You didn’t do anything. I thought maybe you were just teasing.” 

At that, Jesper leaned back, eyebrows high. 

“Do anything? What were you expecting, I’d jump you while you walked to the kitchen?” His voice was casual, but Wylan heard a note of offense.

“No!” Wylan’s gaze dropped to a crooked stitch in the shoulder of Jesper’s shirt, and he wished desperately Jesper would lean closer again. “I just- I don’t really know how this is supposed to work. I’ve never done anything. Before.” 

Jesper’s face softened into a little smile, and his hand came up to Wylan’s cheek. “I know, gorgeous. I just didn’t want to rush you.” 

Wylan leaned into his hand, meeting his eyes again. He still felt jangled, overexposed- everything he wanted, this conversation alone, was uncharted territory. But if there was anyone he wanted by his side when he went into the unknown, it was Jesper. 

Jesper cleared his throat, seeming to decide something: “And I guess I might’ve..been nervous. I’ve never had this.” He made a vague gesture with his hand between the two of them. 

Wylan frowned. “Another man?” 

“What? No, no, I’ve definitely had that.” Jesper looked over Wylan’s shoulder and scratched the nape of his neck. “I’ve just never been with someone like you. You know, where I feel like...” He trailed off, again making the vague gesture between their chests. 

“ _Oh _?” Wylan crooned, mirroring him. He was thrilled to be the one flustering Jesper for once. “Feel like what?”__

____

____

Jesper groaned, his head rolling back on his shoulders. “Saints, merchling, can’t you cut me some slack? I’m trying to tell you I love your sorry ass!” 

Wylan stared, eyes wide and face heating up again. Jesper distantly thought that the redness of his cheeks made his eyes look even bluer. 

“Oh.” A smile started to spread across Wylan’s flushed face. “I love you, too.” 

They sat for a moment, grinning at each other like idiots, before Jesper regained his senses and kissed him. _He loves me too. He loves me _, Jesper thought giddily. Wylan’s hands coasted up his shoulders to cradle his head.__

_____ _

_____ _

Jesper pulled back, a teasing smile back on his face. 

“So, there weren’t any other little merchlings around? No one ever caught your eye?” 

Wylan laughed, still a little red. “No, there was no one. Father kept me secluded.” Jesper watched him quietly, the moment suddenly serious. A thought rose in Wylan’s mind. “But, even if there was- even when I saw someone, it was like, no matter how beautiful, they were still a stranger.” 

He frowned, looking for the right words. Wylan had never really stopped to think on this, much less explain it to anyone else- there had always been more pressing worries. Belatedly, he wondered if it made him strange. He was certain that not everyone thought this way. 

“I could never even imagine myself being with them.” Feeling brave, he added: “I’ve never wanted anyone like this before.” 

Jesper’s somber face was quickly being overtaken by the biggest, smuggest grin Wylan had ever seen. 

“So,” he said, pulling his arms around Wylan and speaking into the spot just below his ear. “You’re saying I’m special?”

“Maybe,” Wylan muttered without heat, distracted by the feeling of Jesper’s lips on the sensitive skin of his neck. Jesper laughed delightedly, leaning away to look into his face again.

“Wy, listen- we can take our time. Whatever you want.”

Wylan traced over his cheekbone, feeling more sure in that moment than he had all day. “I want you.” He swore he actually saw Jesper’s eyes glint. “But…I’m not really sure what to do. Can you show me?” 

Jesper’s eyes were trained on his mouth, hands around his waist. 

“Tell you what. I’ll take care of you, and if you want, you can return the favor.” 

Heat flooded Wylan’s body, and he nodded, unable to look away from Jesper’s heavy lidded gaze. Jesper moved to sit with his back against the headboard, pulling off his shirt in a smooth motion. 

Wylan wavered- “Where should I…?” 

Jesper opened his arms, grinning, and Wylan crawled forward until he was straddling Jesper’s lap. Jesper kissed him again, and he kissed back with enthusiasm, letting out the desire that had been building up for so long. His fingers were curled around the back of Jesper’s neck, pulling him forward, and without thinking he pressed his hips deeper into Jesper’s lap. He faltered slightly when Jesper hissed, and with a pleased flush realized that he had liked it- in fact, he could feel just how much he had liked it. The feeling made him almost woozy, both of them straining towards each other, feeling Jesper grow harder. 

“Ah, you’re a natural, love,” he whispered, voice raspy, moving to kiss down his neck, pushing his hands up the front of Wylan’s shirt. 

Wylan’s breathing was already coming heavier, his head feeling like it might float away- he quickly pulled off his own shirt and dropped it behind him. Jesper’s hands were hot brands on his stomach, and he thought there might be burn lines down his skin. 

_He’s a Fabrikator, not a Heartrender _, he corrected himself dreamily.__

____

____

He felt a finger gently tug at the waistband of his pants, and Jesper whispered in his ear- “Is this ok?” 

Wylan nodded furiously, gripping Jesper’s shoulders. He gently, very slowly, undid the fastening and stroked his hand down. Wylan’s breathing was ragged- it wasn’t like he had never done this himself, but the feeling of Jesper’s fingers tracing over the line of his cock through his underwear was unlike anything he had ever felt. Jesper tipped his chin up and kissed Wylan again, and the scrape of stubble against his bottom lip felt like a tether to the earth. Jesper pulled him out fully, wrapped his hand around and gave him a real stroke. Wylan inhaled sharply, wincing a little.

“Wy?”

“Your hand, its rougher than mine,” he said, still breathing hard. Apparently, he wasn’t used to the feel of real callouses. 

“Shit, sorry love-” he steadied Wylan with one arm and fumbled in the night table with the other, pulling out a bottle of lotion. Wylan raised his eyebrows wordlessly. 

“Pays to be prepared,” Jesper said, smirking until Wylan kissed it off his face. 

With his hand smoothed by the lotion, everything felt different- softer, but somehow more sensitive. Wylan felt his legs tremble slightly as Jesper worked him over, leaning heavily onto him for support. The sight of someone else touching him was so strange- Jesper’s hands were like the rest of him, long and slender, rich deep skin, and now wrapped around him making him pant and moan. Wylan felt heat pooling in his belly, his muscles tight, gasping into Jesper’s neck.

“Are you close, baby?” 

Like he couldn’t tell.

“ _Yes _,” Wylan breathed, and Jesper sped up slightly, dipping his head to give a him heated kiss.__

____

____

One more twist of his wrist and Wylan broke away with a sharp moan, coming into Jesper’s hand, pleasure rolling over him in waves. His head was dazed and fuzzy, his body pleasantly tingling- he had never felt anything like it. 

Jesper watched, suddenly overwhelmed by the realization that this was Wylan. His Wylan. The Dregs’ Wylan, the same one he’d found working at the tannery, who suffered with him at the ice court, slept in ship cabins, tents, graveyards with him. He inexplicably was reminded of how he had looked after they visited his mother, when he broke down on the road (though he’d looked like someone else). He had seen Wylan make every face from weeping to laughing, and now his eyes shut tight in pleasure as he came apart. 

_I did that _, Jesper marveled. _He knows me, and he loves me, and I get to make him feel like this _.____

_____ _

_____ _

Jesper was hardly a virgin, but he felt suddenly vulnerable in the face of such straightforward intimacy. Wylan opened his eyes, looking sleepy and happy. His brow furrowed. 

“Jes?” 

Jesper realized he was staring intently at Wylan, jaw slack. He reached for the easygoing charm he so often fell into and came up empty. 

Wylan drew his hands down Jesper’s chest. “Can I…?”

“Yeah, yes,” he said, desperation making his voice hoarse. 

Pleasure had soothed Wylan’s nerves and steadied his hands. He traced over the muscles of Jesper’s stomach, his hipbones, appreciating what he had stolen glances at for so long.  
Jesper kept his eyes on Wylan’s face, full of unfamiliar shyness- he felt like Wylan was pulling out his heart and gently turning it over in his hands. Wylan paused, leaning forward to lightly kiss Jesper’s mouth, then his cheek. 

Though it wouldn’t show, Jesper’s face felt warm. Wasn’t he supposed to be leading the way? But he was melting under Wylan’s touch, and Wylan was mimicking his actions- wrapping his hand carefully around him and stroking, his other arm still resting on Jesper’s shoulder. His motions were gentle and serious and filled Jesper’s chest with warmth. 

“Wylan,” he whispered. “That’s good.”

A proud smile lit Wylan’s face. “Should I keep going like this?”

“You can go faster.” Jesper’s hands twitched around his waist. “And tighter.”

Wylan adjusted his arm slightly, eyes intensely focused. 

_That’s adorable _, Jesper thought, then stopped thinking as Wylan sped up. He hadn’t realized how keyed up he’d been- this wasn’t going to take long.__

____

____

“Shit,” he groaned. Wylan took his tone as encouragement, continuing to stroke him while pressing forward to give him a messy, unfocused kiss.

Wylan’s arm tightened on his shoulder, and Jesper’s grip dug into his hips. 

“Jesper,” Wylan spoke in his ear, not slowing. The sight of Jesper like this made him bolder than before. “I love you.” 

“ _Fuck _,” Jesper gasped, burying his head in Wylan’s shoulder as he came.__

____

____

They sat for a long minute as they caught their breath, Jesper’s face still tucked into the crook of Wylan’s neck, fingers tracing up and down his back. He knew he should probably clean them up, but he didn’t think he’d ever been as comfortable as he was right then.

“I tell you I love you, and all you can say is ‘fuck’?” Wylan teased. 

Jesper’s shoulders shook with laughter. “I love you too, merchling.” 

“I guess that nickname is never going away.”

Jesper finally sat back, cupping Wylan’s face in his hand. He committed as many details of this moment as he could to memory- the slight flush on Wylan’s cheeks and chest, the curls sticking to the sweat on his temples, the wetness on his lower lip.

“How do you feel, sunshine?” 

Wylan’s eyes were still half closed in a smile- he looked drowsy. “Really good. That was- we should definitely do that again.” 

“Love, we’ve just gotten started on what we can do.”

Wylan flushed in earnest now, but he didn’t look away, holding Jesper’s gaze while a grin split his red face. Wylan thought he finally understood why everyone seemed so obsessed with fucking. He already felt spent from the overwhelming newness, and they hadn’t even done anything beyond what was most familiar to him. Wylan felt glad, now, for Jesper’s breadth of experience- there was so much he could show him, so much they could try together. 

But it couldn’t all be soft smiles and sweet words. Wylan glanced between them and grimaced. “Should we…?”

“Ah, I’ll take care of it.” Jesper gently shifted Wylan off his lap, pecking him on the cheek. “Wait here.”

Wylan collapsed onto his back and flexed his legs, knees stiff from sitting on them. He couldn’t bring himself to care that his trousers were still pulled halfway off and open. Jesper burst out laughing when he walked in and saw him on his back, arms spread out, bicycling his legs in the air. 

“Just what the hell are you doing?”

Wylan snickered, wiggling his toes. “My feet fell asleep.” 

Jesper flopped down beside him, bouncing slightly. Wylan felt the warm drag of a towel across his skin, and looked down to see Jesper carefully wiping off his stomach, then his hands, his eyes sparkling with leftover laughter. When he’d finished, he tossed the rag behind him, unwilling to get up a second time. 

He pulled the covers over them both and laid his head on Wylan’s shoulder. Wylan felt suddenly exhausted, he warmth of their bed and the weight of the arm thrown over him pulling him down into sleep.

“Jesp-” Wylan was cut off by a large yawn. “Jes, what time is it?” 

“Not quite eleven. Want me to read you something?” he mumbled, voice vibrating through Wylan’s chest.

Wylan’s eyelids were feeling heavier by the second. 

“No, ’m gonna sleep now,” he murmured. 

Jesper’s breathing was already slowing down. 

“Night, love.”

“G’night, Jes.”

And they slept.


End file.
